On August 5, the Environment Department (NMED) filed an emergency amendment to require employers to report positive COVID-19 cases in the workplace to the NMED Occupational Health and Safety Bureau within four hours of being notified of the case. The emergency rule is effective for 120-days, or until December 3, 2020, unless NMED proposes and the Environmental Improvement Board adopts a permanent rule. Guidance documents can be found here.
Also in New Mexico. The Board of Pharmacy approved the recommendations by the Board’s Practice Committee for a new protocol allowing pharmacists to treat patients with a positive CLIA-waived result. The five treatment areas under the new protocol are flu, strep, HIV PEP, and COVID-19. Notably, the new protocol includes language allowing the treatments to be FDA approved or FDA Emergency Use Authorizations (EAU). Certain COVID-19 tests have received authorization from the FDA that classify them as CLIA-waived tests. The protocol must now gain approval from both the Medical and Nursing Boards in August who may then return the revised protocol to the Board of Pharmacy for final approval. Protocols can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.